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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26687287">clash of blades</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/manbun_zukka/pseuds/manbun_zukka'>manbun_zukka</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canonical Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Requited Unrequited Love, Tea Shop Zuko, a bit of, also, and, and sokka has a crush on him, because he has a crush on sokka, by the beach, its jet yall, katara just wants to be friends, no beta we die like jet, oh yeah, so they talk about feelings~~, that should be a tag, we need more of the gaang finds out about tea shop zuko, zuko cries a little bit, zuko is sad that jet died :(</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:55:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,166</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26687287</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/manbun_zukka/pseuds/manbun_zukka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Are you alright?” she finally asked. “You seemed a bit upset after the play.”</p><p>Zuko scoffed quietly. He pulled one knee up to his chest, wrapping his arms around it, and let the other one dangle over the edge of the cliff. “I’m in shock, I think.” he murmured.</p><p>“Shock?” Katara asked. Zuko nodded. “About what?”</p><p>“Just some stuff that happened in the play.”</p><p>“Oh.” That made sense, she guessed. “It must’ve kinda sucked to hear your citizens cheering for you death.”</p><p>Zuko chuckled a humorless laugh. “That’s not it. Honestly, I’m surprised that they didn’t start yelling at the actors for not making it more brutal. But anyways, I’m just kinda shocked that Jet died.”</p><p>---</p><p>Or, Zuko and Jet were fucking that whole time in Ba Sing Se, Katara is a Good Friend (tm) and Sokka and Zuko are pining idiots.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jet &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Katara &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>533</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>clash of blades</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey there! this just popped into my head a few nights ago, and i thought i'd get it out here while i think of shit to do with my life now that the touch au is finished.</p><p>enjoy!</p><p>xx,<br/>CJ</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko looked up at Katara, who was standing just behind him, looking down at her feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” he said, before turning to look back out at the ocean.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ember Island was quiet at night, when there weren’t any katas to practice, or battle plans to go over, or beach parties to be had. The only noises were that of the wind and the sea, blending together in a song of silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara glanced back at the house once more, before quietly taking a seat next to Zuko on the cliffside. Sure, they might have gotten to trust one another after the southern raiders, but she was still wary of being alone with him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” she finally asked. “You seemed a bit upset after the play.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko scoffed quietly. He pulled one knee up to his chest, wrapping his arms around it, and let the other one dangle over the edge of the cliff. “I’m in shock, I think.” he murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shock?” Katara asked. Zuko nodded. “About what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just some stuff that happened in the play.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” That made sense, she guessed. “It must’ve kinda sucked to hear your citizens cheering for you death.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Zuko chuckled a humorless laugh. “That’s not it. Honestly, I’m surprised that they didn’t start yelling at the actors for not making it more brutal. But anyways, I’m just kinda shocked that Jet died.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara was taken aback by that. “You knew Jet?” she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko chuckled again. “Oh, Agni. Did I know Jet.” He propped his chin up onto his knee, sighing. “When I was in Ba Sing Se… Jet was my everything. He was my first real friend, my first kiss, my first boyfriend, my first love. He was the first person who ever looked at me and didn’t see the banished prince of the Fire Nation, but instead saw just a boy who wanted friends. I should’ve known that I wouldn’t last though. I never wanted to fight, y’know? After we got to Ba Sing Se, Uncle opened up a tea shop, and I worked there. I made friends, first with Jet, and then with a girl named Jin. I stopped worrying about finding the Avatar and pleasing my father, because for once in my life I had something better than his love. I had a family. But, the thing is, when you’ve never had a family before you don’t understand the pain of losing one. When I was in Ba Sing Se, I wasn’t Zuko, I was Lee. Lee the non bender that was scarred by the Fire Nation and good with swords and at making tea. Lee who was in love with Jet. And I thought- Agni, I thought that Jet loved me too. But Jet loved </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lee</span>
  </em>
  <span>, not me. And when he found out that I was a firebender he tried to kill me. So, I guess that I hoped I could see him again after we won the war, and maybe show him that not all firebenders are evil. That some are good. But I guess I can’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara exhaled deeply through her nose, taking in everything that Zuko had just given her. He was gay. Okay. No problems there. He had friends. He was in love. He didn’t sound at all like the Zuko that she thought she knew. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry that you won’t get to see him again,” she whispered, laying a hand on his shoulder. For once, Zuko leaned into the contact, and it was only then that Katara noticed the tears streaming down his face, silently, as if he’d taught himself how to sob without making any sound. Katara took her chance and wrapped her arm further around his shoulders, wordlessly sighing when he moved further towards her warmth. “You know, you never talk much about your time in Ba Sing Se. What was it like?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko rested his head on her shoulder and breathed in deeply. “It was the first time I ever really realised that what my father’s doing is wrong. It was the first time I ever really saw that there were people suffering because of him. And not only that, but it was the first time that I ever got a chance to live out from under his shadow. Lee could do things that I couldn’t ever do before, like have a boyfriend, and free the Avatar’s bison.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was you!?” Katara exclaimed. “I thought that was the Blue Spirit?”</span>
  <span></span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Surprise?” Zuko tried, blushing crimson. “There’s a small possibility that I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>the Blue Spirit?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara scoffed, laying her head on top of his. “Honestly, why am I even surprised?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko chuckled lightly, looking back towards the sea. “When I was in Ba Sing Se, I felt normal for once in my life. Jet made me feel normal. Serving tea with Uncle made me feel normal. Hell, knowing that you guys were in the city and not immediately trying to kill you made me feel normal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That makes sense,” Katara whispered. “I can only imagine what it was like to grow up how you did. Although, I have to say, I can’t really see you and Jet together. I didn’t know he, uh, swung that way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s really my fault,” Zuko murmured. “I fall hard and I fall fast. Honestly, I really need to get that in check.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara sighed again. She didn’t miss the way that he looked at Sokka, didn’t miss the little stares during meals or the blush that always dusted his cheeks while the two boys were sparring. Zuko was head over heels for her brother, that much was clear, but what Zuko didn’t see was that Sokka felt the exact same way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He likes you back, y’know.” Katara whispered, smirking as Zuko blushed. “Sokka, I mean.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He doesn’t,” Zuko insisted. “Isn’t he with Suki?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara choked on a laugh. “Zuko, they broke up at Serpent's Pass. Suki’s been seeing another warrior since then. And Sokka is most definitely in love with you. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>shuts up about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko blushed ever harder (how was that possible?) and tried to hide his face in Katara’s shoulder. “I wish. Even if he did like me back, the comet is coming soon, and then I’ll be Firelord, and I’ll probably just have to marry a girl for political convenience. I know that I’ll never be able to be myself, but I think it’s worth it, if only for my people.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zuko,” Katara whispered, “you’re going to be the Firelord. You can change the laws that make gay marriage illegal and marry whoever the fuck you want to. Don’t let tradition hold you back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh,” Zuko murmured, pulling his face away from her shoulder and looking back up at the sky. “I guess I never thought of that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Katara pretended not to notice a few mornings later, when Zuko and Sokka sat closer than usual to each other on Appa, and disappeared to spar for at </span>
  <em>
    <span>least </span>
  </em>
  <span>three hours, then so be it.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i hope you liked this! feel free to drpo some kudos or a comment, they always warm my heart.</p><p>xx,<br/>CJ</p></blockquote></div></div>
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